Arch support member



Aug. 3, 1948. wHlTMAN 2,446,449

ARCH SUPPORT MEMBER Filed Oct. 18, 1946 mica-z fig man L 'ZZ/hffmazz atente Au. 3, l

one 1 Hyman L. Whitn. East Brldgewatcr, More assignor to The E. F. Goodrich Company. New York, N. i l, a corporation oi Yorh Application @ctober it, 1946, Serial No. 2%,952

8 filial. i This invention relates to an arch support member and to footwear comprising such a member, and particularly to a resilient support member for use with shoes which a portion oi the sole face is inclined toward the outer border of the sole.

The principal objects of this invention are to correct pronation of the arch; to provide supportto the articulation of the navicular, talus and s calcis, so as to rotate the foot outwardly; to provide a support member such that distribution of the body weight determines the degree of support; and, to provide such support by means of a concealed assembly which forms part of the normal face of the sole when the body weight is not applied to the arch support member.

Pronation of the arch constitutes a leading cause for foot trouble. tripod construction formed by the articulation of the navicular, talus and 0s calcis has rotated inwardly and downwardly from its normal condition. The corrective measures for such a condition comprise supporting the tripod, and at the same time rotating it outwardly to its normal position. This has been accomplished by various constructions which have one feature in common. With many previousl known constructions. the area below the articulation of the navicular, talus and cs calcis is raised above the normal upper surface of the sole. in the case of shoes such as play shoes, where the sole face is almost com pletely exposed, these previous constructions are unsightly. This is true to a lesser degree in any article of footwear wherein an arch support memher is used.

By means of this invention the tripod is sup ported and the'foot rotated outwardly by means of a member which is substantially concealed when the weight of the wearer is removed from that area. In other words. in the absence of external vertical pressure, the upper face of the arch support member is at acommon height with the normal upper face of the sole and they merge into a common surface.

These results are accomplished by means of a construction which is the reverse ofthe conventional method. The sole with which the arch support member is used is inclined downwardly toward the outer border in the region below the articulation of the navicular, talus and as calcis. The arch support member comprises a member f greater resiliency than the soleand is positioned on the inclined portion of the sole. The member is generally wedge-shaped and has an incjlzined lower face which slopes upwardly from the In cases of pronation, the

outer edge oi the incline sole portion; that is, the lower face is reversely inclined with respect to the inclined sole portion- The niembe'ris of such thickness that the upper face forms the normal upper surface of the sole in that region. .c-"When afoot is positioned on this construction and the body weight applied, the resilient membr is compressed with the greater depression of the member occurring at the outer edge of the member where it is of maximum vertical thickness. The foot thus rests on an inclined surija'ce in this region, which causes the foot to rotate outwardly. The portion of the inclined surface adjacent to the inner border of the sole provides support at the articulation oi the tripod. when the body weight is removed from the resilient member, it returns to the uncompressed condition whereinthe upper face again coincides with the normal upper surface or the sole. The invention may be embodied in any article of footwear where an arch support member is desirable. It may best be understood by reference to a specific embodiment as illustrated by the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pl'attorm type play shoe with a resilient arch support member positioned on the inclined portion oi, the sole;

Fig. 2 is a. perspective view of the rear portion of the sole illustrating the preferred construction wherein the inclined portion of the sole is recessed into the sole;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the preferred shape of the resilient arch support member.

In a platform-type play shoe embodying this invention as shown in Fig. 1, theshce is constructed in the conventional manner, and comprisesaplatiorm sole it, to which are attached a plurality -of strap-like members it, it which form a discontinuous upper member-wherein the wearer's foot is exposed to a large degree. The sole to may be of molded rubber as shown here. wood, or leather with a wooden platform block, or any similar material. The strap-like members il, ll may be of leather, fabric, plastic material or any other suitable material may be used. These materials are also suitable for use where a continuous upper with an enclosed vamp is desired.

The rear-portion of the upper face H of the sole id is inclined downwardly from the marginal region adjacent to the inner border it of the sole toward the outer border it. In the preferdistance from the inner border is chosen such that this edge extends directly under the articulation of the navicular, talus and s calcis. The inner edge if of the inclined portion ll prefer ably extends from the region II below the base of the first metatarsal, rearward to the marginal region adjacent to the rear border ll of the heel.

The inclined portion il extends toward the outer border ll of the sole II, and has an armate outer edge 2| along which 'edgethe recessed portion is of maximum depth with the deepest point 2! in the region below the cuboid directly across the sole from the point below the tripod articulation. The depth of the recess decreases in each direction along the arcuate edge 1| until this edge converges with the inner edge I of the inclined portion. The inclined portion ii preferably has a gradual slope until it reaches a zone 22 between the point which lies below the articulation of the tripod and the point below the cen ter of the plantar surface of the foot. Beyond this zone the pitch of the slope increases, with the angle being determined by the depth of the recess which is desired. The angle of the incline is preferably about degrees along its steeper slope.

In the preferred construction the arch support member 23 comprises a piece of sponge rubber shaped such that it completely fills the recessed portion of the sole, thus the member has an arouate outer edge 24 along which the member is of maximum vertical thickness. The lower face 2! of the member is reversely inclined with respect to the inclined soleportion ill so that the face slopes upwardly from the arcuate outer edge 24 to converge with the upper face 26 of the member 'along the inner feather edge 21. The upper face 26 of the member is essentially planar and when the member is positioned on the inclined sole portion, the upper face if of the member lies in the plane of the normal upper surface ll of the sole ll.

The invention has been described in detail with reference to a particular type of shoe but it may be embodied in any article of footwear where an arch support is desired. Thus, a shoe with a cl6sed vamp may be used if desired. The arch support member is preferably of soft sponge rubber, but any resilient material may be used provided it possesses a substantially greater degree of resiliency than the sole, and is compressed by the application of the body weight. The shape of the member may be varied within the limits determined by the objectives to be attained.

In a shoe embodying this invention, the foot of the wearer is rotated outwardly, and the articulation of the navicular, talus and 0s calcis is supported so as to correct pronation of the arch. The resilient arch support compresses in accordance with the body weight distribution so as to conform to the contour of the plantar surface of the foot. When the body weight isremoved, the arch support member returns to the uncompressed condition whereby it forms a common surface with the normal upper surface of the sole; thus, the arch support member involves no unsightly construction.

'The invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to a preferred embodiment, but it will be understood that variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A combination sole and arch support member, said sole having a portion of the upper face thereof inclined downwardly from the inner border of said sole toward the outer border thereof,

said arch support member being of greater resiliency than said sole and comprising a member positioned on said inclined portion and being of maximum vertical, thickness at the outer edge of said member.

' 2. A combination sole and arch support member, said sole having the rear portion of the upper face thereof inclined downwardly from the region of the inner border thereof toward the outer bor. der thereof, said inclined portion having positioned thereon an arch support member of greater resiliency than said sol and having the lower face thereof reversely inclined to said inclined sole portion, said arch support member having maximum vertical thickness at the'outer edge of said inclined sole portion.

f 3. A combination sole and arch support member, a portion of the upper face of said sole being recessed below the normal upper surface of said sole, said recessed portion being inclined downwardly from the edge thereof adjacent the inner border of said sole toward the outer border thereof, said inclined recessed portion having positioned thereon an arch support member of greater resiliency than said sole, said member having a maximum vertical thickness at the edge thereof adjacent the outer edge of said recessed portion.

34. A combination sole and arch support member, said sole having a rear portion of the upper face thereof recessed below the normal upper surface of said sole in an inclined portion sloping downwardly from the edge adjacent the inner border of said sole toward the outer border thereof, said inclined portion having positioned thereon an arch support member of greater resiliency than said sole, said member having the lower face thereof reversely inclined to said inclined sole portion with the maximum vertical thickness of said member at the outer edge thereof adjacent the outer border of said sole.

5. A combination sole and arch support mem- 'ber, said sole having a portion in ithe rear half of. the upper face thereof sloping downwardly from the upper face in the marginal region adjacent the inner border of said sole toward the outer border thereof in a recessed inclined portion having a maximum depth in the marginal region adjacent the outer border of said sole, said arch support member comprising a member of greater resiliency than said sole positioned on said inclined portion and having a reversely inclined lower face and a substantially planar upper face presenting a common surface with the normal upper surface of said sole.

6. A combination sole and arch support member, a portion of the upper face of said sole in the rear half thereof being inclined downwardlyfrom said upper face in the marginal region adjacent the inner border of said sole toward the outer border thereof in a recessed portion having a 5 the maximum vertical thickness of said member at the arcuate outer edge thereof. and having the lower face thereof reversely inclined to slope upwardly to a feather edge along the inner edge of said inclined portion, the upper face of said arch,

supportmember lying substantially in the plane of the normal upper face of the sole.

7. An arch support member for use in coniunction with a'sole having an inclined upper face portion, said arch support member comprising a generally wedge-like member of resilient mate rial. said member being of maximum vertical thickness at the outwardly curved outer arcuate I edge thereof in a zone spaced from the ends of said edge and decreasing in vertical thickness along said outer edge from said zone toward the ends'of said outer edge, the lower face of said member being inclined upwardly from the outer edge thereof to converge with the upper face of said member along a feather edge, the upper face of said member being an essentially planar surface generally perpendicular to the arcuate outer edge thereof. v

8. A icombination sole and arch support membar, a portion of the upper face of said sole being inclined downwardly toward the outer border-of the sole in a zone extending from the region below the we of the first metatarsal rearward d seases clined to slope upwardly to a feather edge along the inner edge of said inclined portion, the upper face of said arch support member lying substantially in the plane of the normal upper face of the sole.

HYWN L. WHI'MAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the as file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,427,547 i Pietzuch Aug. 29, 1922 25 1,701,839 Dively Feb. 12, 1929 1,841,942 Fenton Jan. 19, 1932 2,052,115

Shulman dug. 25, 1936 

